Respiratory dead space measurement in the investigation of pulmonary embolism in outpatients with pleuritic chest pain.

Study Objectives: Pleuritic chest pain is a common presenting condition in the emergency department. A noninvasive bedside rule out test for pulmonary embolism would aid investigating this patient group. Our study aimed to compare the clinical utility of three methods for calculating respiratory dead space in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in outpatients with pleuritic chest pain.